178
Music Trade Review
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20th, 1881.
THE
CRITIC AND TRADE
REVIEW.
THE STORY OF AN INFERIOR PIANO.
THE "HAINES" UPRIGHT PIANOS ON ITS MEKIT. THE MESSRS. HAINES
MAKE SOME PITHY REMARKS AND EXHIBIT SOME PITHY TESTI-
MONIALS.
NE of the reporters of the
called at
the warerooms of the Messrs. Haines Bros., on Fifth avenue, in this
O
city, one day last week, and found Mr. N. J. Haines, Jr., skipping back and
MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW
be accepted as an unbiased judge of his own work. And speaking of Val-
leria, would it not be well for Mr. Weber to take these things in chronolog-
ical order, and before attempting to put a salve on his wounded pride for
not having received a testimonial from such a great lyric artist as Madame
Gerster, to apologize for having used the name of another great lyric artist,
Madame Valleria, without her authority. You, of course, remember the
challenge we made to Mr. Weber to produce proofs that Madame Valleria
had used a Weber piano during her stay in this city last winter, as he
claimed in an advertisement. Well, Mr. Weber never met that challenge,
and never will, because Madame Valleria used only a Haines Upright while in
this cilj/. The careless observer may think it unnecessary to revert so often
to issues that may appear past and gone, but they are in reality of great
importance, for they show whether a man's statements are entitled to belief
or not. It would be easy for me to charge Albert Weber with making other
statements which are false. For instance, he says that Madame Gerster was
constantly supplied with Weber pianos up to the date of her departure, June
4th, 1881. Now I was present at the last reception given by her just before
she sailed, and I saw no piano but a Haines Upright at her appartments.
By the way, I should like very much to know why Mr. Weber did not boldly
mention the name of that inferior maker; ha! ha!" and Mr. Haines
smiled uproariously.
forth in a very lively manner between a huge pile of letters on his desk and
a telephone at the other side of the office, connecting with the factory at
21st street and Second avenue, where Mr. N. J. Haines, Sr., superintends
the construction of instruments. The younger Mr. Haines having secured
n, few moments of leisure between the letters and the. telephone, turned and
greeted our reporter.
"Now, Mr. Haines," said the latter, "the weather is too unpleasant for
the Elberon to-day ; so, as you are obliged to stay in town, perhaps you can
give me a little of your time. Great events, you know, are in the air. What
mean these rumors about Gerster testimonials, Steinway, Haines, Weber,
etc., etc.? What causes the infernal pow-wow, any way? "
MR. HAINES PBODS MR. WEBER.
Mr. Haines smiled, smiled away around to the back of his head.
"Well," he said, "the Messrs. Steinway & Sons hardly come into this
" This Gerster business has touched Mr. Weber on a raw spot, and his
affair at all. I read the letter written them by Madame Gerster, and pub- anger is so great to think that Haines Bros, got what he ..could not get, that
lished in your last issue. There is no mistaking the meaning of that letter ; our name sticks in his throat and he can't get it out. I wonder if Mr.
it speaks for itself. There is no getting around it or going behind it."
Belden, the banker in this city, thinks that ours is the piano of an inferior
maker, when he has had a Haines Upright placed on his splendid yacht."
WHO THE INFEKIOE MAKERS ARE.
Mr. Haines fairly gurgled with laughter at this point.
" If Steinway & Sons are not concerned in it, our lively Hyoung friend,
" I think," he went on to say, " that if Mr. Albert Weber was fortunate
Mr. Albert Weber, ia certainly on the war path," said the reporter. " Have enough to be admitted even on the grounds at Elberon, that delightful resort
I not heard that he claims you do not possess a Gerster testimonial, and also on the Atlantic Coast, he would see a number of Haines Bros.' ' inferior '
that he alludes to Haines Bros, as makers of an inferior instrument?"
Uprights that would astonish him. Elberon, is, of course, you know, the
Mr. Haines beamed all over as he replied, " I have heard something to ' swellest' place on the coast, and, besides the hotel, there are some of the
that effect, and though we do not care to put ourselves in such a position ' swellest' cottages in America on the hotel grounds. Well, Haines Bros,
that people may say, ' If the cap fits you, wear it !' it would not be honest have their ' inferior' pianos in the cottages of such people as Victor New-
to say that we do not know that Mr. Weber means Haines Bros, when he combe and Mrs. John Sloan, of New York; Mrs. Ellis, of Philadelphia; Mrs.
alludes to ' a letter from Etelka Gerster praising the piano of an inferior Halsey, of New Orleans; Mrs. Horace V. White," Mrs. Wilhelm Pickhardt
maker,' as Madame Gerster has written only two letters that I know of in and Mrs. Kinney, of New York, and Mrs Jesse Grant; they have, besides,
praise of American pianos. One was to Messrs. Steinway & Sons, the other sent one of their Uprights to Mrs. Robert L. Cutting, at the Grand Union
to Haines Bros. Now, Mr. Weber mentions Steinway & Sons by name in Hotel, Saratoga. I have mentioned only a few of the names of people, leaders
speaking of the fact that Madame Gerster had given them the testimonial in society, and well-known throughout the fashionable world, who possess
you published ; but in referring to the other parties who received a testi- Haines Bros.' pianos, and who are not only sufficiently wealthy to buy the
monial, he exhibited his jealousy and spite by speaking of them as inferior best, but who have enjoyed every advantage for the highest cultivation of
makers. Inferior is good ! But, before I go further, let me give you Madame artistic tastes, and consequently ought to be capable of appreciating and
Gerster's testimonial to Haines Bros. Poor Weber! he would have liked any selecting the best."
sort of a testimonial from Gerster, but he could not get it. The best he
" Did you observe," said Mr. Haines after a pause, during which he close-
could do was to take up a lot of letters from the lady's husband, Dr. Gar-
dini, testifying to the fact that she had always used one of Weber's pianos ly scanned^Mr. Weber's published statement, " that Mr. Weber attempts to
as a sort of a dummy, as Madame Julia Rive-King did once in Baltimore, disprove our claim that Madame Gerster a few months ago purchased a
when she used a Weber piano as a substitute for the dummy on which she Haines Upright, by stating that Madame Gerster purchased a concert grand
of him in 1879. Two years ago! There is nothing strange about that.
was accustomed to practice her exercises. Here is the testimonial."
Having used one of Weber's concert grands awhile, she naturally desired
something better, and so purchased a Haines Upright. Does Mr. Weber
GERSTER AND MARIE ROZE.
wish to admit that Madame Gerster could not get two years' service out of
It read as follows:
his concert grand ? Why, I have always supposed that he gave a guarantee
" Messrs. Haines Bros., 124 Fifth Avenue:
with every ordinary piano he sold, without speaking of concert grands, for
"GENTLEMEN: Before departing from America I beg to express my at least five years."
pleasure and delight in having had one of your superb Concort Upright
DISSECTING A WEBER STATEMENT.
pianofortes to use while in New York. It sustains the voice admirably, and
in all respects answers the demands of the most exacting artist.
" I wish you would just take notice," continued Mr. Haines, " that in
" ETELKA GERSTER GARDINI."
our new catalogue no testimonial from any artist dates back of 1880. This
New York, Friday Evening, June 3, 1881.
last testimonial of Gerster has never been approached by any other piano
"Now cast your eye over this," said Mr. Haines. " I t was written by house in the country in the matter of uprights. I think wo are warranted
Henry Mapleson as an expression of the opinion of his wife, Madame Marie in feeling just a little proud over our success within two years in making a
Roze."
specialty of Uprights. To come down to the last remark in Mr. Weber's
The second paper contained the following:
very extraordinary statement. He says,
" The salon of the Academy of Music is now (at the time of the last
" 'Her (Gerster's) preference is, as it always has been, the Weber Piano.
opera season) the rendezvous of the elite of New York fashion during the She has used them continually from October 5th, 1878, when she had Parlor
entre acts of the opera.
Grand No. 11,248, at Room 6, Clarendon Hotel, until June 4, 1881, when
" In the centre of the salon is one of Haines' celebrated Upright pianos she had Grand Upright No. 17,708, at the Westminster Hotel.'"
and it is generally admitted, not only by connoisseurs, but also by the artistes
" Now the truth is that on June 4th, 1881, Gerster was at the Everett
of Her Majesty's Opera Co., that the ' Haines Upright' is unrivaled for its House, in this city, not the Westminster, and, moreover, she had a Haines
marvelous purity of tone, and the remarkable manner in which it sustains Upright while there."
the voice. Madame Marie Roze, the celebrated prima donna, sat Jdown the
me to say," said Mr. Haines, as our reporter rose to depart,
other day at the Haines Upright, in the Academy of Music, played and "that " Permit
if
the
CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW takes sufficient interest
sang several charming French songs before a host of admiring friends, and in the question MUSICAL
of
the
Gerster
testimonials to publish anything about them,
then said she had tried all the leading pianos in Europe and America, and you may rest assured that Haines
Bros, state simple facts, and that there is
found, to her astonishment, that the Haines Upright surpassed them all for
we tell you that we cannot back up."
the surprising manner in which it sustained and harmonized with the voice. nothing
"And now," said Mr. Haines, "permit me to show you a few slight tes-
" This indorsement, given without any solicitation, is the strongest ever timonials given to this ' inferior' firm of piano makers by noted artists, whose
received by any pianoforte manufacturer, and inasmuch as Mme. Roze has judgment ought to be entitled to consideration," saying this Mr. Haines
tried all the leading pianos of the day, she is, consequently, in a position to placed a batch of papers in the reporter's hand. Among these he read as
pass judgment upon their respective merits.
follows:—
" HENRY MAPLESON."
" Well, tell me, Mr. Haines," said the reporter, as he finished reading,
" what is Mr. Weber driving at ?"
" I t is plain enough," replied Mr. Haines, " Madame Gerster could not
be bought up to give a testimonial certifying to qualities in Mr. Weber's
pianos which they do not possess, so he, in desperation, tried to throw cold
water on the testimonial which she gave the Haines Upright, and also on the
fact that she purchased one of our Uprights before her recent departure for
Europe."
FROM RAVELLI.
PHILADELPHIA, January 16, 1881.
MESSRS. HAINES BROS.
Dear Messieurs—I wish to thank you for the excellent piano that you have always
furnished me during my sojourn in New York and here, and beg of you to continue to do
so while I remain in America.
Receive, gentlemen, the assurances of my highest consideration.
LUIGI RAVELLI,
Celebrated Tenor, -with H. M. Opera Co., Season
1880-1881.
GERSTER'S PURCHASE OF A HAINES UPRIGHT.
FROM TTTCTC MAJESTY'S OPERA COMPANY.
"Then Madame Gerster did actually purchase a Haines Upright," said
the reporter.
COL. J. H. MAPLESON, Director,
" Yes, sir," was the reply, " I can positively assure you that she did.
N E W YORK, April 1st, 1880.
It strikes me that Mr. Weber is attempting to force something for himself To the Messrs. HAINES.
out of this matter as he did in the Valleria case, when, not being able to
Gentlemen—Having had an opportunity of using your " New Concert Upright
secure a recommendation from her, he used her name without authority. Pianoforte"
at the Concerts given by Her Majesty's Opera Company, at the Madison
Mr. Weber's little scream is absurd. In the first place not having any direct Square Theatre, we beg to compliment you upon your great success. Your New Up-
testimonial from Madame Gerster, he is himself obliged to call attention to right surpassed our expectations. You can justly claim a superiority over any Pianoforte
the merits of his own pianos. This is foolish, for a piano makor can never we have hitherto seen for Concert purposes which is equally as well adapted for accom-